Stumble
by Kohi wo Nomu
Summary: Artemis couldn't decide which was more frightening, seeing Robin collapse, or watching The Batman as he stumbled, fear filling his yells at the still body on the ground.


A/N: Please tell me if you see any mistakes. This entire story was a crazy idea that was written in the forty-five minutes I was waiting for my clothes to dry in my apartment's laundry room.

* * *

 **Stumble:  
** _ **The Purpose of Kevlar**_

"Robin!"

It seemed that everything had stopped in that moment. Even the villains had frozen mid punch or kick to find the red, black and yellow blur that was the infamous Boy Wonder. It happened so quickly. Robin was instantly on alert, using his momentum of pushing the henchman toward her to finish and spun, ready to defend himself from the next threat when the sound ricocheted through the warehouse.

Two overpowering, echoing booms.

The youngest, most experienced member of the Young Justice, partner to the one and only Batman, fell to the floor in a boneless heap.

No one dared to move. Artemis couldn't bring herself to look. She stared straight ahead, where Robin's head had been. People didn't drop like that from being shot unless they were hit somewhere that...

These guys weren't even one of the big bads. They were nobodies. Some crazy scientist with some stupid science fiction style weapon, delusions of grandeur and enough money to pay mercenaries. Artemis didn't even remember his name. If the Joker or Riddler or Two-Face couldn't kill the Boy Wonder, how could this run-of-the-mill schmuck who, otherwise, would have been forgotten in a day?

An eerie silence filled the cavernous space. The henchman stared in the same stupefied disbelief as the teen's teammates and the three Justice League members who had joined. All villains attempted to kill the heroes, that was part of the job, but to actually see one fall? It was as if they weren't prepared for what to do.

The moment stretched until the silence was broken by fearful, choked laugh. All eyes turned to the scientist, the large pistol in his hand still smoking, still raised and pointed at where the thirteen year old had stood.

An inhuman sound tore through the warehouse, making everyone jump. With a speed that belied his non-meta status, Batman tackled the gunman. The move held none of Batman's usual grace and fluidity. The ever-maddeningly-stoic Batman was throwing wildly uncoordinated punches, even as Superman and Flash rushed forward faster than her human eyes could see, pulling the Dark Knight away from the bloodied, but still breathing, unconscious man.

Artemis felt herself shrink away from the three heroes. She was standing next to the body of her friend, Batman's son. Was he Rob's father? Did anyone actually know? The white lenses of the nightmarish cowl were pointed toward her, but she knew the eyes behind them weren't seeing her. Batman, always calm, level headed, never showing any emotion was trembling, breathing in shallow gasps. He took a step toward her, toward Robin's body, and stumbled. He caught himself before he could fall, but the graceful, sure-footed, master of practically every martial art, _stumbled_. Staggering steps quickly brought the man to Artemis and the body. Her eye's followed the black form as he fell to his knees, and she quickly turned her head away with a cry.

It had been out of the corner of her eye, and she'd looked away so quickly, but even with her eye's closed she could see the wet, red, blood on his messy, black hair.

She suddenly couldn't breathe. She needed to get away, but she couldn't move. This couldn't be happening. What they did was dangerous, sure; people died every day. But...it couldn't. It just...couldn't.

She flinched as arms wrapped around her, pulling her away. The Flash was whispering to her. She knew it was him, but the actual words were lost. He was pulling her away. No! She needed to...she couldn't...

She opened her eyes to find the team seemingly in the same state. They all looked...lost.

Batman cape was all she could see. It was so still. So quiet. What happened to the mercenaries?

"His heart."

Everyone, with the exception of Batman turned angrily to Conner.

"What?!" Artemis yelled, her voice cracking on the single syllable.

"It's still beating. I can hear it."

Artemis didn't know if the strangled gasp came from Batman or Robin, but then the Boy Wonder was coughing, groaning, and trying to curl himself into a ball in Batman's arms.

"Lie," The word came out broken and Batman cleared his throat before trying again, "Lie still." It wasn't said with conviction, as was Batman's usual speech, it sounded relieved, frightened, but relieved. "Superman!" The yell sounded nothing like she'd ever heard. It wasn't Batman's voice. She wondered if that was how he sounded without the costume.

Superman landed in front of the Dark Knight, "Check him," the order was reassuring. It had actually sounded like Batman.

Superman stared at the boy for a moment, before exclaiming, "Three broken ribs. Skull fracture."

Robin was moaning in pain, "Ah, bullet proof? What's the purpose of Kevlar if-" he hissed, "I think I hit my head." Batman pulled something from his belt, a flashlight, and shined it into one of Robin's eyes, the boy turned his face away, gasping again. "Ah, stop. So not asterous."

"You have a concussion."

"He shot me." He groaned, "I've been shot before, it hasn't hurt this bad."

Batman turned slightly, "M'Gann, the bioship and a stretcher." The young Martian snapped out of the group's collective stupor with a gasp, but didn't speak. Artemis assumed when the green teen's eyes glowed, she was calling the ship to their location. Batman's attention returned to the youngest teen, "High caliber, you're lucky it didn't go through. The second grazed the side of your head, knocked out out." It all would have sounded matter-of-fact, should have, coming from The Dark Knight, but the voice was still not quite Batman's usual gruff growl.

The black-haired teen sucked in another short breath, "Another redesign?"

The archer could have sworn the puff of breath Batman released was almost a laugh, "I'll have to come up with something better so it won't be too heavy or restrict your movement."

"Weren't you working on something anyway?"

That was almost a smile on Batman's face, "Yes."

The Bioship whooshed overhead and landed, the medical board floating out the moment the hatch was open wide enough. The Boy Wonder was quickly secured with a more gentile touch than Artemis had expected of Batman. As Miss Martian carefully telepathically floated the injured teen up to the ship, Batman turned to the group, "Superman, Flash, take care of the rest. Kaldur, Kid Flash, Artemis, Superboy, back to Mount Justice."

Just like that, Batman was back, giving orders that he didn't even wait to see if the other's followed. He stepped up onto the ship, sitting next to his injured partner and spoke quietly to the boy the entire way back to their base.


End file.
